Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-04-13
panasome southern women.

@The southern confederacy turned out
host of handsome women, said an old soldier
to a reporter ayes sirl You talk nowadays
about handsome women, but you ought to
have seen them during the war. Gen. John
Morgan married the prettiest girl in Tennes-
see, and if am not greatly mistaken, she is
vet living, and still beautiful She was
Miss Ready Her father lived at Murfrees-
boro, and was a prominent lawyer Of that
section forty years ago Miss Ready was
Confederate-an out-and-outer. She loved
John Morgan because he was daring brill
liant, and brave man: and so she married him.
One year later he was killed, and heard that
the tragedy broke her heart She was mar
velously beautiful woman-that sort of
beauty which cannot be reproduced in pho
tograph, and can only be suggested in an oil
painting Mr. Morgan had fine figure and
eyes which could melt or annihilate you, just
as her emotions dictated. Tennessee has
turned out thousands of pretty women, but
few have ever equaled in statuesque beauty
the handsome widow of Gen. John Morgan.
"Then there was the wife of Gen. J. E. B.
Stuart She was a Miss Flora Cooke, daugh-
ter of Col. Philip st. George Cooke, of the
Second dragons. The wedding took place, /
think, at Fort Riley Nov. IA, 1855, and it was
one of the SWEETEST affairs of the army of that
day. Stuart was then only % years of age,
and had just been appointed regimental quar-
termaster and commissary at Fort Leaven-
worth, while his father-in-law was comman-
dant of the Fort Riley post. The western
country boasted few handsomer girls than
Flora Cooke and fewer finer looking matrons
than Mrs. Stuart. | hear she is now a teacher
in young ladies' seminary in Virginia, and
that her daughter, Miss Virginia Pelham
Stuart, has fallen heir to much of her moth
er's beauty
II never met Mrs. Beauregard, but friends
tell me she had all the brilliant qualities of a
pure French woman and all the languorous
beauty of the south. She was tall and grace
full, and elegant in her speech and manners.
She had sparkling black eyes, wealth of
coal black hair, and in all respects was a
highly accomplished woman. l don't think
Gen. Beauregard has ever entirely recovered
from the shock OF her death. met him last
year on his visit to st. Louis and he spoke Of
his wife with affectionate tenderness Hers
was type of beauty seldom seen outside of
Louisiana, and l fancy she must have made a
very popular impression in the wide circle of
society in which she and her husband moved.
Il cannot say that any of the ladies of Gen.
Lees household were particularly beautiful
They were all fine looking-even to Mrs. Lee,
who was an invalid throughout the war. Miss
Mary Lee. the generals second daughter is
now about So years old, plain, unpretentious
woman, having great force of character, and
that gentle dignity which all the Lees pos
sessed. Miss Mildred Lee, the eldest daugh-
ter, travels great deal, hear and is seldom
seen in this country, but she sometimes visits
her brother, Gen. G. w C. Lee, at Lexing
ton, Va Both Miss Mildred and Miss Mary
are great favorites with the people of Vir-
ginia, not merely on their fathers account
but because of the quiet charity and sym
pathy which have always characterized
them
"The second wife of jefferson Davis was q
splendid appearing woman in her youth, and
/ have no Doubt she is yet fine looking, She
was Miss Narina Howell, and think she
was born in Georgia, though her fathers
family lived many years in New Orleans
She is of Welsh descent, but had more marks
of beauty than is generally accorded towomer
who have Immediately descended from Wales
| remember when Mr.. Davis visited this CITY
about thirteen years ago, he was accompanied
by one of his sons, then grown young man.
was casually introduced to the latter, and
when said to him: How much you resemble
your mother, sir he grasped my hand again
and said with sudden earnestness, Thank
YOU You don't know how tired am of hav
ing people tell me how much | resemble
Zachary Taylor The point of the joke is, as
Won probably know, that Mr. Davis had nc
children by his first wife-the daughter Of
Gen. Taylor-and a great many people, bad
aired their ignorance by greeting Mr. Davis
son as the grandson of the old Mexican hero
st. Louis Republican.